


a secret santa

by softlyspoken



Series: it’s the most wonderful time of the year [6]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: AU, Christmas Fluff, M/M, Secret Santa Fic, are you bored of these yet well soz i have one more left
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:01:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21938635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softlyspoken/pseuds/softlyspoken
Summary: Robert just sort of runs a hand through his hair and then looks at the box of chocolates in front of Aaron.“You want them? ‘Cause I ain’t taking ...”“Sort of my fault.” Robert sighs. “I didn’t know what to get you and ... just sort of grabbed the first thing I saw.”
Relationships: Aaron Dingle/Robert Sugden
Series: it’s the most wonderful time of the year [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1574866
Comments: 10
Kudos: 74





	a secret santa

  
Aaron wouldn’t say he’s a fussy person when it comes to presents. Usually he’ll settle for his sister getting him some socks and his mum attempting to buy a shirt he’ll grow into.

But now, he’s sitting around this table with a stupid hat on his head and he’s unwrapping a box of chocolates at his work Christmas dinner. They look alright until he turns the box over and sees that they’re best before date reads from before he started working at this shitty firm.

“Awww chocolate. Aww that’s ...” Vanessa stops trying to be cute when she realises that Aaron’s scowling.

“Someone wants to kill me.” Aaron mumbles into his pint and then Vanessa is cackling about how silly he is. “They’re out of date. By like ... four years.”

“Oh.” Leyla leans over and stretches a hand out to get them off of him. “Yeah he’s right. They are.”

Aaron watches Liam open up a nice little pen and holder that Aaron got his mum to get on his behalf. He looks chuffed, pushes his chest out and everything and then Aaron’s catching his eye, nodding and Liam’s giving him a thumbs up.

He looks back at the chocolates and then rolls his eyes into his pint again, decides that next year he isn’t bothering at all. He’s even more sure when Leyla squeals when Robert Sugden from the floor above his starts opening this snazzy tie she’s clearly got for him.

He gives a tight smile, looks more relaxed and a lot less put together than Aaron ever gave him credit for. For a second, Robert looks at him and then darts his eyes away again. Aaron’s back to thinking about his shit present by the time everyone’s leaving.

He texts his sister, lets her know that he’ll be home soon and then goes to stand when he feels someone standing above him. He looks up and sees Robert Sugden there. He’s got this awful Christmas jumper on and his work shirt underneath and Aaron’s pretty sure it’s the best way to try and sum him up.

“You lost?”

Robert just sort of runs a hand through his hair and then looks at the box of chocolates in front of Aaron.

“You want them? ‘Cause I ain’t taking ...”

“Sort of my fault.” Robert sighs. “I didn’t know what to get you and ... just sort of grabbed the first thing I saw.”

Aaron looks at Robert up and down and feels this blush hit his cheeks and whack him over the face. Eventually he bites his lip and turns his chair around. “Charming.”

“I don’t know ya.” Robert shrugs. He leans forward and then back again. “You’re a difficult man to shop for.”

Aaron’s heard it before. He looks up and then feels like he should stop scowling at the bloke. “S’alright.”

“Yeah?”

“You think I was going to deck ya.”

Robert frowns. “I know your surname you know.” Aaron almost smiles and then he goes to stand. “I’ll do better next time.”

Aaron gulps hard around whatever it is Robert’s doing here. He doesn’t know enough about him to know how to react so he’s just shrugging and trying not to draw attention to himself which is difficult when Robert’s staring at his face. 

“How?”

His answer involves getting Aaron a drink from the bar. They sit and bump knees and gossip about who Leyla’s currently engaged to and if it’s possible Vanessa’s drunk laugh can get any louder.

“Hardly see you around.” Aaron says, skirts his finger around his glass and watches Robert stare. “You’ve got a fancy glass office ain’t ya?”

Robert finds it funny. There’s creases around his eyes and he looks really sort of beautiful for a second and Aaron tries to pull himself together. “Just lets me spy on people.”

“ _Spy_?”

“I mean ... stare.” Robert closes his eyes. “That isn’t better um ...”

“Admire?” Robert goes to speak and then Aaron jumps in. “Perv? Stalk?”

“They’re getting worse.” Robert says and then he’s leaning forward for a second. Aaron’s breath hitches until he swings back.

Robert stares at him, eyes flickering as they sit facing out onto the street.

“Why the face?” Aaron says, and he’s not used to not wanting to deck someone for paying attention to him this way.

“Why the attitude?” Robert wriggles his eyebrow and Aaron thinks he might be drunk. He goes to drink again and then clears his throat. “Do you want to know a secret?” He must be pissed. Aaron should care but he doesn’t.

Instead, George Michael’s singing about last Christmas and Aaron’s leaning right in to hear Robert better.

“What?” He whispers, biting his lip and feeling this heat race through him and make him want to take his jacket off in the middle of winter.

“I knew they were out of date.” Aaron sits back, frowns and Robert keeps looking at the wooden bar.

“Twat.”

Robert raises his head. “Just wanted to get you a drink. Talk to ya properly.” He says, his voice is still hardly there and it comes out in this soft gentle way that makes Aaron’s heart thud.

Aaron doesn’t say anything. He just sort of stares and apparently his silence says a lot because Robert stands, sticks a coat on and a scarf around his neck.

“I should ... yeah. Sorry.”

Aaron watches him stumble out and feels this wave of _surprise_ hit him. He didn’t expect Robert Sugden of all people to even know his name. He thinks about Tracy hearing about this, she’d freak with jealously. So would Leyla come to think of it.

“Don’t be a plank.” Aaron whispers to himself before running out of the place to follow Robert. He rips off his stupid paper hat when it starts snowing and he sees Robert making little to no movement on the pavement. “Sugden!”

Robert turns slowly, nose pink and bright. He goes to turn back around then Aaron’s catching up and holding him by his arm.

“Why’d you go?”

Robert makes this face. “Isn’t it _obvious_. Just made a total prized idiot of myself in front of someone who’s clearly not ...”

Aaron rolls his eyes and then grabs Robert by his stupid jumper, has to get on his tiptoes to kiss him hard on the mouth. Robert swings away after a second and Aaron feels his lips tingle.

“Did you just kiss me to shut me up?”

Aaron nods his head. “Maybe.” He says. “Or maybe I wanted to kiss ya.” He shrugs a little and he’s still holding Robert by his jumper when Robert stares down at him.

“Because I bought you out of date chocolate?”

Aaron rolls his eyes. “That nearly clinched it but ... you’re sort of fit and ...”

“Sort of?” Robert’s a proper idiot. Aaron proper likes him after a few _hours_. “You are. Fit. I mean ... not just ... fit.” He shakes his head. “I’ve not really been like this with a bloke for a while so I’m rusty with ...” 

Aaron kisses him again, this time he has his hands around Robert’s neck and he sighs into it. He feels Robert stumble back and then catch Aaron by the waist, hands steady on his hips as it continues to snow. 

“Did you just shut me up again?”

Aaron has a hand on Robert’s chest, he hears his heart thud and smiles. “Not rusty.” Robert’s head dips and he leans in slowly to kiss Aaron again until they’re panting. “Your place far?”

Robert stutters back, his lips still on Aaron’s. “No.” He whispers. “You ... you sure?”

Aaron nods, whips his phone out to tell Liv he’s staying out. He gets an emoji back and he thinks it’s being sick but he doesn’t care.

Half an hour later Robert strips down to reveal mistletoe boxers and it’s sort of the best thing about Christmas he’s seen in his life.

**Author's Note:**

> Posting the last one of these tomorrow, hope you’re enjoying them. Comments appreciated as always!


End file.
